Many different types of hog feeding equipment are known in the prior art. One common variety generally includes a feed storage unit disposed above a feed receiving and dispensing trough unit. So configured, a quantity of feed may be disposed and stored within the feed storage unit. Gravity will urge the feed down into the feed receiving and dispensing trough unit. One or more swine may then feed from the trough unit.
To control the rate of feed dispensation from the feed storage unit to the trough unit, many such units include a feed gate mechanism. Such feed gate mechanisms typically include a vertically disposed shaft and crank. By manipulating the crank, the feed gate may be positioned to selectively control the size of the opening between the feed storage unit and the trough unit.
Many such swine feeding mechanisms also include agitators disposed within the grain storage unit, the trough unit or both. In general, such agitators serve to agitate the feed and assure its availability for the feeding swine. Such agitators may be either operator or swine controlled.
The applicant has determined that certain problems and inefficiencies exit with respect to these prior art swine feeding mechanisms. For instance, feed can be pushed back into the trough unit and become inaccessible to the swine. Such nonaccessible feed poses obvious problems of economy and sanitation. Such swine feeding apparatus should preferably operate to cycle all of the grain contained therein to the swine.
In addition, prior art agitators do not provide sufficient movement to adequately agitate the feed. In particular, swine operated agitators are typically circumscribed by limited mobility and hence have limited ability to agitate.
Finally, feed gate mechanisms are typically operated via threaded connections between the feed gate and the control shaft. Feed particles can invade this threaded region and cause difficult operation.